Entertainment
Charlie Cox Carries Netflix’s Stellar 5-Part Spy Thriller Beyond Daredevil
If there’s one thing most Marvel fans can agree on, it’s the impeccable casting of Charlie Cox as Daredevil/Matt Murdock. Like Christopher Reeve, Robert Downey Jr., and Hugh Jackman before him, Cox’s name is synonymous with superhero excellence; few actors have inhabited the tormented skin of their comic book counterparts with more authenticity, passion, or pathos. To the joy of casual and aficionado fans alike, that casting coup didn’t go quietly into the night following Netflix’s cancellation of the original Daredevil series in 2018. Between the recently premiered Daredevil: Born Again on Disney+, as well as Murdock’s cameos in Spider-Man: Far From Home and She-Hulk: Attorney at Law, Cox has now been playing the Devil of Hell’s Kitchen for over a decade.
However, the England-born performer was already establishing himself as a force to be reckoned with before 2015’s Daredevil, leaving a trail of memorable performances that culminated in his ongoing MCU role. Roughly four years after the third and final season of Netflix’s Daredevil, Cox swapped out his red devil costume for a different kind of suit as the lead of the streamer’s original spy series, Treason. The role of Adam Lawrence, an MI6 agent devoted to protecting his country and family while harboring the weight of past indiscretions, proves an ideal vehicle for Cox’s defining traits as an actor, and cements him as more than just that guy who wears devil horns.
What Is ‘Treason’ About?
Created by Matt Charman, the Academy Award-nominated screenwriter behind Steven Spielberg‘s 2015 historical drama Bridge of Spies, Treason is a non-stop thrill ride reminiscent of BBC classics Spooks, The Night Manager, and Daniel Craig‘s era of James Bond — not to mention modern espionage hits like Apple TV+’s Slow Horses and Netflix’s own Black Doves. After being dismissed, Russian spy Kara Yerzov (Olga Kurylenko), poisons the head of MI6, Sir Martin Angelis (Ciarán Hinds), and second-in-command Adam Lawrence is thrust into the intelligence agency’s leadership vacuum. Angelis has mentored the up-and-coming Lawrence for years, prepping the younger man for a role of such power, responsibility, and influence.
Still, the sudden nature of Lawrence’s promotion carries no shortage of expectations. Adam must juggle seemingly irreconcilable goals: conflicts as mundane as his jealous colleagues, and as immense as being the United Kingdom’s first line of defense against international enemies intent on destabilizing England amidst the turbulent state of worldwide politics. Worse still, the personal becomes political when Kara blackmails Lawrence about their old affair, triggering a CIA investigation into Lawrence’s loyalties, as he simultaneously races to protect his wife Maddy (Oona Chaplin) and their two children. Fearful and flailing in the wind, Adam has no choice except to clear his name, expose the true traitor, and defend those he loves.
Charlie Cox Brings Emotional Maturity to His Roles, Including ‘Treason’
Treason allows Cox to channel the individual qualities that make him a compelling figure into one role. In particular, we see his earnestness, ferocity, and ability to walk the fine line between a good man with noble intentions and a flawed human with ongoing failures. No matter the character or the size of his part, Cox brings emotional maturity and an almost visible weight to the material. An inherent commitment simmers beneath his body language and expressions — a sense that the actor is excavating deep inside his imagination to find each character’s truth. In short (and to be a little frank for fun’s sake), there’s no half-assing it with Cox. In Daredevil, his resolute, angry tension allows no doubt about Matt’s passion for protecting the helpless and redeeming his home, nor aboutthe depths of his barely restrained rage.
When Treason opens, Lawrence’s life is idyllic: a loving wife and kids, a cushy job, and even a fancy house. It’s relatively rare to see a devoted family man in the spy genre, and Cox’s performance reflects this. Lawrence is relaxed and assured, whether he’s tenderly and playfully reassuring his worried children or issuing severe orders to his staff. That safety line quickly unravels as his past indiscretions catch up with him and cast suspicion — both the audience’s and the characters’ — on the image Lawrence projects. There’s more to uncover about Lawrence’s scenario and Lawrence himself than the recycled trope of a wronged man seeking justice. He feels burdened by the constant conflict between his good intentions and darker weaknesses, and that flavor of relatable moral ambiguity is (pardon the pun) one of Cox’s superweapons.
Charlie Cox Knows What It Means To Be Fearless
After 20 years onscreen, Cox isn’t coasting. With Disney+’s ‘Daredevil: Born Again,’ he’s making vulnerability a superpower.
That said, despite Lawrence’s questionable actions and the uncertainty surrounding him like a hovering dark cloud, if the audience is meant to question his devotion to king and country, Cox’s natural sincerity makes Lawrence’s ultimate integrity almost a foregone conclusion. Adam isn’t the type to sacrifice his loved ones for the greater good. Rather, he prioritizes them so highly that he commits treason to rescue his kidnapped daughter, Ella (Beau Gadsdon). With her life at risk, he can’t focus on the larger threat even though he’s leading MI6. Shame, not self-preservation, prompts him to keep secrets from his wife, fidgeting and staring agitatedly into the middle distance. When he begs Maddy to understand that his love for her has never wavered, all of Cox’s earlier intensity transforms into something quieter, if no less vehement. It’s a sincerity rooted in the same gentle and steadfast love as Matt Murdock’s encounters with his closest compatriots, Foggy Nelson (Elden Henson) and Karen Page (Deborah Ann Woll).
The same energy applies when Lawrence reunites with Ella or comforts his son Callum (Samuel Leakey). Cox rarely raises his voice in Treason and doesn’t need to. The thrumming energy in his physicality says enough. As a character, Lawrence feels lived-in despite Treason‘s fast-paced plot, and Cox demonstrates those consistent characteristics sets him apart as an adept actor. Taken in the context of his past roles, that easy truthfulness isn’t a surprise. Daredevil could be a ludicrous series in different hands, but Cox contributes to its grounded style by never overacting while still rising to the emotional level a scene requires. Whether it’s questioning his lifelong faith or fighting an array of evil ninjas, Murdock’s pain is visceral in every punch and broken rib, as is his repeated heartbreak. Hatred, remorse, and love all echo off the screen — and, where Treason is concerned, organically transfer into applicable instances.
‘Boardwalk Empire’ Was a Breakout Role for Charlie Cox
For another example, take HBO’s Boardwalk Empire, where Cox portrays IRA member Owen Sleater, the right-hand man to main character and criminal Nucky Thompson (Steve Buscemi). Sleater is armed with sharp intelligence and a ruthless willingness to assassinate enemies. He’s a man made rough around the edges by poverty. Yet in true Cox form, an unexpected sensitivity underscores his illicit romance with Nucky’s wife, Margaret (Kelly Macdonald). His demeanor softens at their first meeting, and as their affair progresses, it’s clear he adores her enough to move heaven and earth if she asks. He doesn’t conceal his disarming infatuation, and his yearning disarms everything the audience previously assumed about Sleater.
If only Owen’s optimism weren’t at the mercy of an HBO series. After a mission, he returns to Margaret and Nucky as a corpse in a box, but his goofy smiles and belief in love remain unique to Boardwalk Empire‘s world and help distinguish Cox’s strengths as a performer. Owen, Matt, and Lawrence are all victimized by their romantic and familial fidelity, and Cox’s sheer commitment guarantees audience engagement with his heartfelt efforts.
Charlie Cox’s Star Is Born in ‘Stardust’
The same skills hold in a different — and surprisingly happy — way in the 2007 fantasy adventure film Stardust, a cult classic that doubles as Cox’s breakout role. A besotted young man who promises to retrieve a fallen star for his lady love, Cox’s Tristan instead falls in head-over-heels love with the star herself, Yvaine (Claire Danes), over a series of shared adventures. Cox and Danes’ instantaneous chemistry sparkles with classic enemies-to-lovers banter buoyed by Tristan’s bright, winsome romanticism. He’s the ideal floppy-haired hero for the genre: a swashbuckling swordfighter, a dedicated lover, and a dancer smooth enough to make Yvaine literally glow with happiness. Even in 2007, Cox’s innate presence and emotional substance distinguished him from the many young men of the early 2000s who starred in similar fantasy ventures.
Give Charlie Cox All the Roles, Please
Time after time, Cox has proven he has more to offer the world than Daredevil. Having said as much, it’s safe to assume most fans would happily watch Cox play Hell’s Kitchen’s most conflicted Defender for as long as Marvel allows. One might even dare to call his Daredevil: Born Again return a gift — but roles like Treason are a different kind of recognition, and just as deserved. Cox combines fervor with honest fragility, and Treason leaves no doubts about whether he has the caliber required to lead any series or film, just like Cox’s performance leaves no crumbs. In an ideal world, Marvel keeps him booked and busy for a long time. Whenever he has a free moment, however, the wider industry needs to let this man keep cooking.
- Release Date
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2022 – 2022-00-00
- Writers
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Matt Charman, Amanda Duke
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